Turning Pages
by InnocentBlossom
Summary: 'Because even when we reach the end of this red string of fate, I will still care about you.' Levi x Petra. Drabble series.
1. Chapter 1: Q & A

Outside the shanty household of the Ral family, Levi stood glaring at the ground as if it'd committed a crime of some sort.

He wasn't usually invited to dinners. Either people were too frightened of him to make such a request. Or he gave off too unfriendly of an air that naturally caused others to steer clear of him. The case was most probably both, so what striked Levi was when he saw the unlikely figure of Petra's father make his way out of the crowd to greet him upon his return from their latest expedition.

The man sighed heavily, adjusting his silky white cravat with his right hand as his go-to left hand was currently being occupied holding a straw basket of fruit. Levi scowled at the item; Erwin had given it to him when he'd asked him for an early relief off duty. The smirk he had on his face made the shorter man twitch in disgust.

He didn't understand. -

- Why Petra's father had insisted he attended this evening.

Usually, in this day and age, people were invited to dinner when there was some sort of marriage arrangement involved. And the thought in itself was absurd as it echoed and resounded throughout Levi's mind. If this was the aim of tonight... What Petra's father had in mind... It was utterly ridiculous, as he and Petra were not about to get married. Much less, in a _relationship_. And the word had the effect of efficiently tinging the tips of the Corporal's ears a light pink.

Petra opened the door with a low hum, revealing her guest for the evening. And for Levi, revealing a _girl_, rather than a soldier. Petra's golden hair was pinned back slightly with shiny hairpins and she was clothed in a floral white _dress_. It was feminine. Levi had hardly ever seen _feminine_ in his life. And even when he did see it, he'd deem it ugly and stupid. And yet, he finds that for a moment, he can't seem to rip his gaze away from the girl.

Feeling disgusted at his own actions, Levi coughed awkwardly, before nodding to Petra in greeting. The latter, tugging at a tuft of her hair and straightening out the creases in her dress, smiled at him sheepishly. "I'm sorry about this."

"It's fine," the man muttered, accepting her invitation into the house, almost smiling upon catching sight of the interior. It was spotless and immaculate; perfect. Petra had obviously made something of an effort to make him feel welcome, so in favor, Levi had decided to _try_ and peel away from his comfort zone, and attempt to be... Sociable. Just for the night. And he'd thought she ought to be grateful to him.

* * *

Levi shifted in his seat, feeling extremely claustrophobic and uncomfortable with the amount of chatter around him. He was very rarely part of lively dinners. He'd been certain that the meals he had with his squad were more than clamorous enough on their own but their families were apparently so much worse in that perspective. The Corporal mechanically stirred the broth that Petra's mother had placed before him, and not for the first time that evening, Levi wondered to himself just what the fuck he was doing there.

Petra's father - yes, Levi would simply acknowledge the man as the one who contributed to his soldier's upbringing - finally cleared his throat. The rosiness of his puffy cheeks fading slightly, his smile averted itself to Levi, who stared back at him, trying his hardest not to let his signature scowl show too much. It was the best he could manage, as smiling was out of the question for him too long ago.

"Levi-heichou-dono, how is my Petra's training coming along then? What do you think of her?"

Levi had to retain himself from crinkling his nose at '_my Petra_'. He instead, opted to provide them with the news they'd been hoping to hear from him, wishing Mr. Ral's second question wasn't backed with the meaning Levi was thinking of.

"I chose her for my squad. She follows orders and she's... Acceptable."

Had he not bore the title of the 'Corporal', Levi would have punched himself right there. But he _did_ bear the title of 'Corporal' so beating himself up was out of the question. Especially in front of _Petra's parents_. Even so, for him to be so blunt with a soldier's parents, who had seemingly expected so much more praise from him, only to be disappointed, was disappointing for Levi himself.

Petra however, could speak Levi's language, and her being 'acceptable' in his opinion had to mean she was pretty damn good. She giggled, blushing slightly. And her father's elated expression quickly dissolved into one of much more seriousness. Levi inwardly grimaced, seeing as his inability to compliment others in an extravagant manner, was clearly leading to his downfall.

Sensing the change in the atmosphere of the room, Mrs. Ral's motherly voice piped up as she smiled. "More broth, Levi-heichou-dono?"

Levi's eye twitched slightly upon once again hearing the excruciatingly long name Petra's parents had given him. Whilst there had simply been a couple of suffixes added to his name, it drove Levi crazy. And he'd thought that 'Levi-heichou" was enough. Besides, it only sounded satisfactory when _some_ people said it. His eyes drifted to meet Petra's momentarily.

"Levi is fine," he began curtly, before quickly adding in 'Mrs. Ral' at the end when he noted that this gesture would allow him the opportunity to redeem himself from earlier. Petra's mother looked pleased enough, anyway.

'_No, thanks._'

That's what he wanted to answer to her question. But turning down Mrs. Ral's food could possibly make her feel as if he didn't enjoy it. "Sure, thank you," Levi handed her the empty bowl quickly, not bothering to lift his gaze to meet hers.

Musing to himself as to why he cared so much about Petra's parents' opinions of him, Levi furrowed his brow. He never usually made an effort to live up to the citizens' views and expectations of who 'Humanity's strongest soldier' was. It was part of the reason why his poor social career only consisted of short quips with his squad, Hanji and Erwin, with the occasional conversations with Mike. And yet, here he was fretting over what one of his _soldier's_ parents thought of him.

Which was _so_ unlike him.

"What are your intentions with my daughter?" Petra's father immediately blurted out as soon as his wife was seen nowhere near the vicinity. Then, as if he were speaking to a particularly unintelligent child, he elaborated. "What do you plan to do with her?"

Petra almost spat out her soup as she gaped at her father, astounded and mortified at his lack of tact.

Levi blinked. "She's one of my soldiers. I intend to train her well so she can continue her success rate during expeditions." It seemed as if Humanity's strongest soldier had misunderstood the objective of the question entirely. Or that he'd apparently ignored the second meaning behind the man's words, choosing to wait until the man pucked up the courage to ask him such a daring question directly.

Mr. Ral gave him a weary look. That was clearly not the answer he was expecting.

"Is that _all_?" Petra's father pressed, "Is my daughter not up to your standards? Do you not wish to marry her?"

"Father!" Petra hissed from her seat across from Levi's. Her cheeks were rapidly warming up.

Levi's facial expression was morphing into one of both mortification and confusion. Had Petra's father no sense of _consideration_?

He was mentally challenged. He _had_ to be, Levi concluded. And he realised that he couldn't avoid the question any longer as Mr. Ral was seemingly under the impression that Petra and the Corporal were in midst some intimate relationship of a sort. Levi glared at the man, failing to make his scowl discreet.

Before the Corporal could open his mouth to respond, Petra's mother sauntered into the room, slap-happy smile on her face as she handed Levi the refilled bowl of broth. Calming himself down enough to nod a 'thanks' to the woman, Levi bit his tongue, fully aware that letting his mouth loose at his _soldier's_ father was not the best way to go. And he noted that most of his restraint was due to that very _soldier's_ presence.

Mr. Ral, apparently also realising the significant slip up in his usually cheerful demeanour, coughed, averting his eyes sheepishly.

The night was to continue on, with Levi and Mr. Ral rarely exchanging remarks.

Once dinner had ended, and the Corporal was to leave alongside Petra, back to HQ, Levi halted himself before Mr. Ral, sliding his icy gaze up to meet the former's.

'_What are your intentions with my daughter?_'

"I intend to train her well so she doesn't _die_."

And that gave all the answers Mr. Ral needed.

* * *

**A/N- Okay so a fairly long oneshot for a drabble series but I honestly didn't know how to make it suitable enough without this length .**

**Please review.**

**I'll continue when I get more inspiration :S**  
**So feel free to give me your thoughts and any prompts that you may have :)**

**~ InnocentBlossom**

**Xx**


	2. Chapter 2: Sun

The sun was always out of his reach.

Be it when he awakes to another early morning of training. So early that the moon is still on its way out.

Or be it during his days worn away as a thug in the underground city below the Capitol. When he'd spend his time in dark, hollow spaces of clamped dirt and gloom alike. When the only 'sun' he'd ever laid eyes upon was the minute glimmer through the cracks of rusting old rooves.

The sun was always too far away.

* * *

And yet, Petra is the first to catch his eye, through the thick crowd of newly graduated trainees. She's standing, hands positioned in a graceful salute, offering her heart to the king. And offering her life to mankind. And praying that enrolling herself in the Survey Corps was not her offering her flesh to the Titans.

Levi sees through her perfectly assembled facade; a mask of determination and resolution alike. Because in reality, her legs are shaking, her heart wavering. Tears screaming at her to be released from the glands in her eyes, only to be retained.

But the sun is burning as bright as ever on that day as well. And Levi takes it upon himself to decide that he'd be able to successfully point her out; remember her; treasure her; no matter where they are.

Because the sun brings out the golden of her hair so _beautifully_.

* * *

On the day that the sky brings along with it, a heavy downpour of racking sobs, Levi finds Petra's tiny frame huddled up in the darkest corner of her room.

The sun had gone into hiding.

And so had she.

Hair plastered to her face, the rain makes it turn a darker shade in comparison to its original color. And Levi thinks he's never seen anything so _pitiful_.

But then he also realises something else.

Petra and the blazing orb in the sky are far too much alike.

And likewise, their fates were intertwining into something of a twisted, sick analogy.

* * *

He traces his pale fingers over the girl's smiling face. Even now, _she_, having been reduced to a distant memory in an evanescent photograph; the sun continues to jeer at Levi, its rays reflecting against the photo paper brilliantly; effectively blinding him with its brightness. Salty tears cloud his vision and Levi curses the sun for being so _vivid_.

_Because he hates it for it._

The sun was always out of reach for Levi.

The sun was always too far away.

Petra was undoubtedly, his sun.

And undoubtedly, Petra Ral will always remain _too far away_.

* * *

**A/N- In all honesty, I don't think this drabble was one of my best, but ugh, oh well :S**

**Thank you a HEAP to all those who Favorited/Reviewed/Followed. It means a lot 3**

**I'll update pretty soon because I don't think this will cut it -.-**

**Haha anyways, please review!**

**~ InnocentBlossom**

**Xx**


	3. Chapter 3: Doll

It was her clumsiness that striked him first.

It annoyed Levi to no end and he wished that he could just _fix_ her, as if she were a doll; make her walk without tripping over her own too feet; make her bring him his coffee without spilling half its contents onto the wooden table first; make her use her 3DMG without getting all tangled up in the metal ropes.

Levi wished he could _fix_ her.

Her first day at HQ, as a newly instated member of Squad Levi, had consisted of her creating a large puddle of half-brewed coffee substance on the floor; then unconsciously slipping on it, effectively bruising her left hip for a good few days; almost stumbling on her way up the rusting staircase to bring the Corporal his highly belated cup of coffee; and finally, as if it were the cherry on top of a cake, she spilled it all over his perfect cravat. And yet, Levi had taken it upon himself to clean up after her because apparently, he were the sole member of the team to know how to do something of a decent job.

He'd never tell her that the single trait she possessed was a notorious criminal in his perspective. It robbed him far too frequently; of sleep. And Levi, more often than not, found himself feeling _terrified_ that her cumbersomeness could _just be_, the end of her. That one slight pratfall could easily end her up in a predicament where she found her head in between the _filthy_, stained teeth of a ghastly Titan.

So Levi intended to fix her in such a way that the Titans couldn't _break_ her.

And although it disgusted him to no end that he was still familiar with something as _stupid_ as wishful thinking, Levi wanted to keep her, and preserve her, like the perfectly imperfect porcelain doll she was.

* * *

**A/N- I was actually having second thoughts about the ending of this drabble... It kind of made me think of Levi as a bit... I dunno :S**

**I don't think Levi thinks of Petra as a doll but meh I just ended up writing it that way. Sorry! **

**Please review!**

**- InnocentBlossom Xx**


	4. Chapter 4: Coffee

_~ 'I wish you were still here to make me coffee in the mornings. It wasn't until I tried to make it myself that I noticed how similar mine tasted to shit.'_

* * *

He woke up the next morning only to see sun rays frankly tearing themselves through the weak glass of his windows, screaming at him that it was almost midday.

He'd slept in.

He never did that. Even as a young child, Levi had always been the first to experience the new day. And yet, he'd let himself _sleep in_.

Peevishly musing to himself why no one had woken him up, Levi rushed downstairs, ready reprimand Erd for being his 'second-in-command', and yet forgetting to do as simple of a task as ensuring the Corporal was up on time.

Instead, he's greeted with a dark, empty room, filled to the brim with a cold, depressing silence. And Levi realized that there was nobody around for him to scold. That there was nobody left for him to leave the room with during late nights, once Hanji decided to make an appearance. That he would never be able to inhale the delicious aroma of Petra's cooking because she'd never _ever_ grace the kitchen with her presence ever again.

Petra had never told him the number of cubes of sugar she put in his coffee - she didn't even tell him whether she _put _sugar in it. She hadn't told him how many coffee beans she brewed into it. Or if she ever put honey in it; or cream.

So Levi swallowed hard, as if he were trying to keep down what little he'd had to eat the night before, out of his throat. Because it all seemed as if Petra hadn't addressed the possibility that she could die on the 57th expedition outside the walls. As if she wasn't going to be there to make coffee for him anymore.

Feeling a sudden ache clash within his chest, Levi advanced towards the kitchen and stared uncertainly at the several labeled jars of coffee beans, sugar cubes, milk and honey alike. It felt as if he were in an environment that was completely foreign to him; it wasn't even _close_ to his range of expertise.

So upon first having the newly made lukewarm liquid come into contact with his tastebuds, Levi couldn't control the grimace that urged itself to be knitted across his face. His first reaction was to promptly empty the glass cup's contents into the sink. But as soon as the image of the stack of paperwork he'd been blatantly delaying for the past few days came to mind, Levi tightened his grip on the cup, and begrudgingly dragged himself out of the kitchen and to the bottom of the staircase before despairingly staring back at the hollow room before him.

Levi would act as if the taste of his own brew were the sole reason as to why he was feeling so disappointed in himself. He'd pretend that it's sheer bitterness was the sole reason why he could hear his own heart crippling away inside his chest. Humanity's Strongest Soldier would only let it be known that his only sense of remorse for his squad - for Petra Ral - was that she was no longer there to make him coffee that his tastebuds could _withstand_.

And Levi promised to keep up the facade as long as he could.

* * *

**A/N- I think the most tragic part about Levi is the way he drowns all his emotions :'(**

**Thank you so much for all the reviews/faves/follows :')**

**Oh and I'd really appreciate it if someone could send me in some kind of Levi x Petra prompt? Because I'm racking my head for ideas and hitting a dead end :(**

**Anyway, thanks for reading and please leave me your thoughts!**

**~ InnocentBlossom Xx**


	5. Chapter 5: Flowers AU

_Prompt: Levi gives Petra flowers secretly. Nobody suspects him._

**Thank you pammazola for the prompt! I don't know if this is what you had in mind, but hopefully you'll like it!**

* * *

It's Wisteria today.

Petra looked down at her doorstep, allowing the morning summer air to flow freely through the gap between her own diminutive frame and the door's. The violet tinged petals hung beautifully, stems intertwining as they cascaded down in a mesmerizing waterfall, unable to be contained within the fastenings of deep purple cellophane. The whole bouquet had been wrapped in such an intricately graceful manner that, for a moment, Petra ignored the fact that her rose-printed silk pajamas were on display for the entire neighborhood to see.

It had been almost a month since Petra Ral had been waking up to the trill ring of her doorbell, just like this. Everyday she'd find a range of flowers awaiting her presence at her doorstep, just like this. They were never tagged with a message; not even the slightest hint of a name to serve the purpose of identification, just like this.

Petra had made a game of the flowers. She'd try to guess what the flowers meant, before promptly searching it up on Google, of course.

"Mmm," She puckered her lips slightly, her eyes drifting upwards as if in thought as she gathered the ornamental bouquet in her grasp. She allowed its fresh fragrance to engulf her in a blanket of serenity, before abruptly reminding herself that she shouldn't get too caught up in the extravagant fantasies she'd allow only in her mind. The flowers were alive. Possibly handpicked. Maybe even first thing, this morning. And like all _alive_ flowers, Petra bit her bottom lip at the cruel reminder that they would darken, shrivel up, before crumpling to the ground like old sandpaper. All good things come to an end, and Petra had to remind herself of that, every morning she awoke to find a new 'batch'.

Of course, her mind was still deciphering whether it _was_ a good thing in the first place.

"I think it means 'purity'," Petra guessed, speaking to nobody in particular as she closed the door and sauntered through the vacant apartment. She unplugged her iPhone 5 out of the nearest electricity point and browsed the Internet, her fingers tapping away at the screen vigorously. "Huh," she blinked pointedly at the screen. "Steadfastness? Playfulness?"

Petra grinned, hoping it to be a compliment. Then she allowed fresh water to occupy the emptiness of her favorite porcelain vase, before unveiling the flowers of its wrapping and dipping the ends into the pot to let it soak.

* * *

"Hey, Oluo?" Petra stretched her arms tightly, until she heard a satisfying 'pop' in the joints between her elbows. Working as an office lady was not only physically straining, but it was also not healthy for the woman's curiously wondering mind, so Petra would make a grab at any sort of break she'd get; whether it be her lunch break, or simply a few mere minutes in between stacks of newly filed documents.

"What?" Oluo lifted his gaze to meet hers, his gingered brow knitting itself together in the condescending manner he'd picked up from keeping constant watch and idolizing their boss' mannerisms.

Petra felt her own eyebrows twitch in disgust; she'd found Oluo's habit of imitating Levi to be in extreme bad taste. Instead of telling him this however, she opted to shake her head slightly, "I've been finding flowers at my doorstep every morning lately. I was wondering if it's you who put them there."

Petra had always been at odds with Oluo. Their personalities never seemed to click, and the man always appeared to be browsing for new ways to make her see red. Especially since the recent arrival of the flowers - which, Petra had thought to be an undeniably sweet thing to do - she'd begun to also suspect Oluo of bearing the responsibility for it. And if this were to turn out to be the true light of this mystery, Petra's entire image of flowers symbolizing kindness would promptly be forever tarnished with Oluo's petty desire to make a fool out of her.

Instead, the said man blinked confusedly. "Flowers? What flowers? I didn't send you any flowers."

Before allowing Petra the sufficient amount of time to respond, Erd's teasing voice piped up, "Flowers? Really, Petra? Who sends flowers these days?" He chortled, allowing his armchair to spin slightly, "Were they signed by a name? Or did they just go by the cheesy 'From your secret admirer'?"

Petra flushed angrily, "Of course they weren't signed! That's why I asked Oluo!"

"Flowers are kind of a stupid idea," Gunther mused to himself as he twirled a blue-inked, ballpoint pen around his right hand. "If you think about it, this 'secret admirer' guy must be REALLY old-fashioned, Petra. Maybe he's got the wrong address?"

"I didn't ask for your opinions," the red-haired female scoffed, flipping her head back down to her next paper.

Levi, who sat at the table furthest away from the group, sent them a deadly glare, his nose twitching, clearly unamused, immediately sending the men to work in obvious haste.

* * *

The next morning brought along with it a bundle of poppies.

_Imagination._

Petra crinkled her nose. It seemed as if even her 'secret admirer' couldn't help but poke fun at her confusion.

'Use your imagination.'

Ugh.

* * *

Surprisingly, Levi had waited for Petra to finish work that day. That's what Petra liked to think.

In reality, her boss had told her that it was a common rule that he was to wait until all workers were out of the vicinity, for him to be able to lock the doors to the office building. A very practical excuse.

"I could lock the doors for you, Sir," Petra had volunteered, only to be refused. And so, she continued to work over-time, feeling extremely self conscious because she could just _feel_ Levi's gaze boring into her soul from his seat away from her.

He'd also held the door for her after she'd finally finished her papers for the day. Another surprise; Levi had never rung Petra as the kind who'd bother with such _old_, trivial things such as chivalry. And when he offered - demanded - to drive her home, as it was evidently, much too late for an evening stroll, Petra giggled to herself. Let it never be known that chivalry was dead.

She liked to think that she and her boss were on relatively good terms. At least, Petra not being the target - typically being Oluo - of his cold glares, sent her the message that perhaps she could talk to the man in such a way that she could expect a reply in return. Of course, she wouldn't keep her hopes up.

So Petra found herself losing control of her mouth, the moment a row of neatly planted pot plants caught her eye at a traffic light. She told Levi everything. From the first day's single white rose that whispered to her '_Secrecy and Silence_', to her latest finding.

And although Levi hadn't said a word throughout her entire recount - she should've known - Petra knew he had been listening, made clear through the quick flicks of his head at each of her remarks.

When she told him about how sweet she'd thought the gesture to be however, she hadn't received much of a reaction at all in return. Yet, Petra could've sworn she saw the tips of the man's ears tinge pink.

* * *

The next day.

A rose, white-dried.

_'Death is preferable to loss of virtue.'_

Petra almost snorted in amusement.

* * *

And the next.

Lavender heathers.

_'Admiration.'_

_'Solitude.'_

Petra didn't know which it was.

* * *

She couldn't bring herself to open the door the morning after that. It was her late mother's seventh anniversary. _Death_ anniversary, of course.

While the burden was heavily weighing against her chest, the thought of opening the door to welcome some random person's declaration of love simply _disgusted_ her. And she wondered to herself if her 'Secret Admirer' was ever going to _man up_ and actually reveal himself, because it were days like these. Yes, sad, _depressing_ days like these, that made Petra feel outright _pissed off_ at this game of 'hide-and-seek'.

The door bell rang again and Petra dragged herself out of the comfort of her bed.

"Why can't you just leave me alone?" She muttered to herself. She'd deduced by the simply procedure of 'narrowing down', that for a _fact_, the person who was sending her these flowers were _not_ even remotely on her list of acquaintances. So this person who apparently declared that he loved her, obviously had no idea _who_ she really was.

And yet, when Petra's petite fingers twisted the doorknob into a click, tears immediately rushed to cloud her vision as she allowed her legs to crash down to the ground, leaving her to stare at the new bouquet before her.

"...Thank you..." Is all she can manage, a sudden clog making itself home inside her throat.

The 'Secret Admirer' apparently knew her as well as she knew herself.

And Petra Ral was back to square one.

* * *

Levi stood on the other side of the apartment building.

Words were never necessary.

And he'd decided they never would be.

* * *

A bouquet of white poppies -

_Consolation._

Sprinkled with several dark crimson roses-

_Mourning._

And finally, two stems of white hyacinths.

_I'll pray for you._

* * *

**A/N- O-kay, that turned out a LOT longer than I expected, and I was seriously contemplating whether to just publish this as a oneshot on its own but meh, why not haha :P**

**I think Levi was a bit OOC in this oneshot, but ugh never mind lol **

**I actually really enjoyed writing this AU and I have ideas for a sequel so if you guys liked this (I hope you did) you can expect more! :D**

**Thank you so much for the faves/follows/reviews! They make me so happy :')**

**Please review!**

**~ InnocentBlossom Xx**


	6. Chapter 6: Flowers AU Part two

Levi never expected himself to be in a predicament where he found himself having to resort to petty things like _flowers_, to express his attraction to a woman. Flowers were nothing special. Flowers would begin to crinkle away and die after a couple of days in water. Flowers were evanescent; whereas _feelings_ were everlasting, despite how foreign the words felt in his mind. But Petra liked them.

Petra _loved_ them.

Levi noticed the way she placed a new bunch in a vase on her desk, every few days. The way she'd fold intricate origami flowers using tissue paper, during her lunch breaks. The way she _smiled_ every morning she woke up to find a fresh bouquet on her doorstep.

So, her happiness was more than enough reason for Levi to continue sending them to her, no matter how _stupid_ he'd thought of the idea.

Upon having the door to the local florist swing open, the brunette shop keeper beamed at her new customer, only to find Levi standing there, in all his glory. His brows furrowed downcast, signature frown plastered to his face.

The woman at the counter grinned, undeterred by the icy breeze Levi let in. "How about those red roses today, Levi?"

"No, Hanji." He cut her off.

_Red_ roses equalled 'love'.

And Levi still wasn't sure if he was prepared to make such a commitment yet. Besides, he couldn't _hope_ to expect Petra to reciprocate if all she ever got were _flowers_ from a person she wasn't even _sure_ she knew. Levi had no choice but to agree with Gunther's comment the previous week; for all Petra knew, this Secret Admirer could very well have mistaken her address for someone else's. And once again, Levi found himself irritated at his current stalemate.

Hanji groaned in annoyance, "Seriously, Levi, you need to just _tell_ her."

"Tell her what?"

She continued as if she hadn't heard him, giving him an 'understanding' expression. "Look, I know you're emotionally constipated and all and that you can't express yourself very well, but-" She didn't blame him for the scowl he gave her. "- But just _try_ to tell her how you feel."

He didn't know how he felt.

Levi had simply wanted to see her smile every morning. That was the original plan, and frankly, he'd thought it sounded a lot better in his head, in comparison to the way things were turning out in _reality_.

Instead, he decided to ignore her complaints. "Daffodil," he muttered quickly.

Hanji exhaled deeply, seeing as her words were never going to get through the man's thick skull, she pushed her body off the counter. "I'll be right back."

_'The sun is always shining when I'm with you.'_

* * *

A ghost of a smile appeared on Levi's features. The day was young; so much so that nobody in Petra's neighborhood was awake and outside. Since the day he'd left her the 'mourning' bouquet, as he'd liked to call it, Petra had been opening the door in the morning with an even brighter smile imprinted on her face, curious to see what message the new flowers would bring her.

Upon arriving at the driveway to her apartment however, Levi's mouth fell slightly agape.

A fresh bouquet of roses comfortably planted itself on the concrete of the doorstep, jeering at his confusion as his eyes drifted between his own flower arrangement - that was settled in the folds of his arms - and then back to the blossoms on the doorstep.

They were red roses.

_'Love'._

Levi's eyebrow twitched in a jerking motion. Apparently a quiet war had just broke out. And he was _not_ about to step down.

* * *

**A/N- Let the battle of the flowers begin ~ LOL **  
**Who knew Levi had competition? :P**

**Sorry if Levi's a little too OOC in this; I always imagined that he'd have much more 'pleasant' thoughts in his head, in comparison to the 'unpleasant' ones he'd express outwardly hahahaha**

**This part was actually pretty short in comparison to the last and I think it'll end up with a couple more 'sequels', but I decided that I'm gonna keep this as a miniature side story of its own in this drabble series, instead of publishing it as its own story.. What do you guys think?**

**Anyway, thank you guys SO much for the reviews and faves! I really do appreciate it :'3**

**Please leave me a review!**

**~ InnocentBlossom Xx**


	7. Chapter 7: Jealousy

He is feeling it again.

That twisted, gut-wrenching feel that immediately sends the bile from his stomach, sky-rocketing to the clog inhabiting itself in the interior of his throat.

Levi feels it whenever he eyes Oluo and Petra jeering at each other, after the former bites his tongue during an expedition. Petra would scold Oluo, mercilessly insulting him; utterly _disgusted_ by him.

That's what Levi thinks.

That's what Levi wants to think.

He often muses to himself if it is a good thing that Petra doesn't treat him the way she does to Oluo. She's 'all smiles' around the Corporal and she'd never dare direct the disgusted twitch of her nose towards Levi.

But the thought also makes him feel somewhat peevish. Somewhat _inferior_. He isn't supposed to feel inferior. The feeling is _supposed_ to be felt the other way around. But Levi is feeling it. Because Petra doesn't trust him enough for her to openly point out his flaws to him.

And _that_ thought makes the bile rise up once again.

* * *

Levi feels it again when Eren accidentally walks in on Petra right after she'd come out of her bath.

He feels incredibly, and unbelievably, _pissed off_.

Petra assures the Corporal that she is "fine" when Levi slams the boy in the jaw. And perhaps he was overreacting when he called it 'sexual harassment.'

Yet Levi brushes the thought aside because he's _angry_ that Eren had gotten to _see_ something so precious as Petra's delicate, porcelain skin.

And he is - admittedly - jealous that it wasn't him.

* * *

**A/N- I really love Jealous!Levi :3**  
**I can totally imagine him as that type, but would store it all inside himself hahaha**

**I wanted to try writing him like that but this one didn't turn out as good as I wanted it to so I'm planning to write more in the future :D**

**Sorry to all the readers who were expecting another part from the Flowers AU ~**  
**I just decided that if it WAS going to be kept in this collection of drabbles, then I may as well put the updates in a little spaced out :3**  
**I'll update the next part of it tomorrow!**

**Thank you so much for all the reviews/follows :')**

**Anyway, thanks for reading and please leave me a review!**

**~ InnocentBlossom Xx**

**P.S- Still dunno if I should keep the Flowers AU as a side story or not, I'm so lost lol :S**  
**Someone please let me know their thoughts!**


	8. Chapter 8: Flowers AU Part three

"What?! No _way_!" Hanji's squeak resounded throughout the small florist, effectively startling many of the customers into looking up in alert.

"Shut up," Levi muttered to her, taking note of the irritated glances people shot them.

The bespectacled brunette, paying no mind to the stares, continued to gape at Levi, slack-jawed. "And then?"

The man blinked. "I came here."

Hanji's eyes widened further as she balked, "You just _left_?"

"No," Levi snipped, annoyance clearly etching itself over his face. "I carefully _disposed_ of the flowers on the doorstep, before putting mine there. And _then_ I came here."

The woman, possibly disregarding his retort, stared at the man consolingly as if he were a particularly dimwitted child. She ignored the scowl he gave her in response. "There's some _predator_, out trying to steal your woman, and you," she raised her index finger at him, aghast, "are sitting in a _florist_ drinking _coffee_?!"

Levi's frown deepened. "She's not my woman, Hanji."

Hanji scoffed irritatedly at the man's evident apathy, "You should be angrier. You should be beating him up, or something! Not sitting here, playing 'tea parties' with me!"

"I would if I could," Levi gruffly muttered under his breath. "I don't know who he is."

"Oh." Was all she said in response, as if the woman had only realized that the flowers _were_ from a S_ecret_ Admirer.

"Shit," Levi cursed.

* * *

The next day.

More flowers.

Levi was starting to feel the irritation of being on the 'receiving' end of a Secret Admirer's surprises. It was _disgusting_, to say the least. And it was _annoying_.

* * *

The next day, a bouquet of Camellia sniggered at Levi from the doorstep.

_'A good luck gift for a man.'_

Levi couldn't decide if the person who'd placed the flowers there had the wrong address, or was just plain _stupid_, almost snorting in distaste at the Secret Admirer's lack of tact. Almost.

He's too busy wiping down the ugly green stain that the leaves of the bouquet - that had now been safely discarded into the nearest trash can - left, prominent on the doorstep. Once he was satisfied with the lack of filth outside the apartment door, Levi gently placed his own arrangement of yellow Hyacinths where the Secret Admirer's once was (it was strange, because apparently they _both_ were described by the term, yet Levi still thought of the other man as the 'lesser' male of the two of them) before promptly pressing the button of the electricity powered doorbell with his left index finger.

* * *

Petra opened the door the moment it rang, signifying to her that a new arrangement of flowers would be awaiting her presence at the doorstep.

When she _did_ open the door, however, she couldn't help but stare at the slab of concrete confusedly. Not a single speck on it; the area was _sparkling_, to say the least. Brushing the thought away for another time, she gathered the fresh bouquet, before rushing back out of the cold air and into the warmth of her apartment building.

_'Jealousy.'_

* * *

Today was it.

Petra was _certain_ that today she would _finally_ find out the identity of her secret admirer.

She'd taken all the necessary measures needed; woken up earlier than usual; had a shower early; made herself look _presentable_ enough to be able to face the man whose admiration had been 'unrequited' for the past couple of months now.

She knew she shouldn't keep her hopes up; but she couldn't _help_ but feel giggly as she teetered outside the door. She could see a blurry dark splotch - figure - approach the door on the other side, through the tinting of her window.

It was time.

Finally.

She'd planned out exactly how the meeting would go in her head. She'd open the door, slap happy grin on her face, and the Secret Admirer - who she imagined to be exceptionally good looking - would stare back at her, a massive blush taking over his features, looking astonished that she'd caught them. It was exciting, to say the least.

The figure was now standing on her doorstep, and moved - what seemed to be their hand - to ring the doorbell.

That was her cue.

Petra tightened her grip on the door handle as she pushed it open.

"Good morni- _DAD_?!"

Petra's eyes widened; so did her father's for that matter.

There was a beat of silence.

* * *

Levi, scowl prominent on his features, glared daggers into the thick walls of the apartment.

Apparently Petra's father was so senile that he didn't even know the meanings of the flowers he were sending to his daughter. Apparently he was one of _those_ people. Those who picked flowers because they looked 'pretty'. Or 'I'm sure you'd _love_ these ones - they bring out your eyes beautifully!'

Levi's frown deepened.

Petra Ral thought she'd finally discovered the 'true' identity of her Secret Admirer.

Tch.

* * *

**A/N- Hey guys!**

**Sooo I'm in a hurry to post this update right now because I need to go somewhere LOL but I didn't see it fair to keep you guys waiting until I came back so here! Hope there weren't too many grammatical errors because I didn't get to revise it! :S**

**So Petra's 'other' secret admirer was her dad?! Hahaha hope I surprised you ~**  
**Next part will explain some things!**

**Either way, Levi seems pissed off xD**

**Thank you a HEAP for the reviews!**

**Please leave me your thoughts on this!**

**~ InnocentBlossom Xx**


	9. Chapter 9: Love

_'You're the closest to heaven that I'll ever be.'_  
_~ Goo Goo Dolls_

* * *

There was an unspoken agreement between them. Words with sincerity; but never promises. Feelings backed with longing; but never wishful thinking. A 'today' that would never be foolish enough to dream of a 'tomorrow'.

It was a taboo within the Survey Corps. No soldier in their right mind would commit themselves to something that bore such heavy responsibilities such as 'love'. Unless they'd be able to promise that they'd 'make it' out alive. Of course, when they were outside the walls, promises didn't matter. They never did. You simply had one goal: defeat the titans; assist in humanity's advancement. Commitments of 'love' and 'marriage' had no significance whatsoever when you were trapped in between the teeth of a Titan.

Petra Ral believed in this simple principle, and yet she couldn't stop herself.

_Levi_ believed in this simple principle, and yet he allowed himself to _continue_.

Because he knew.

Petra accepted him for who he was. She never expected him to exceed her in anything greater than two centimeters in height. She never expected him to smile all the time. She never expected him to bawl in front of his soldiers, just to prove he possessed such things as emotions.

She _loved_ him despite all his flaws.

Levi knew that Petra _knew_ who he was; and who he wasn't. What he could give to her; what he couldn't. What he would promise her; what he wouldn't.

She'd told him one night, that even if the world was to turn their backs on him; were to lose their faith in him; and he was to become the subject of their hatred; and if he was never again accepted by Humanity, Petra promised Levi that she would always be on his side; that she would _love_ him forever; that no matter what happened, she would never think any less of him.

"You also promised me that you'd be with me forever, Petra," Levi snorted, although there was not a single trace of amusement in his voice whatsoever. "That was a foolish dream - we both knew that - and yet..."

Levi couldn't ignore the sudden ache in his chest. He wished he was simply having a heart attack, or something; many of the devastated family members of K.I.A soldiers died of such pain. And Levi found himself on several occasions wondering why _he_ just _wouldn't die_. Why his pain didn't have a common name for it like 'heart attacks' did. They both hurt as much.

"I'm sorry."

The words came out strangled. As if his lungs had retracted; and his heart was shriveling; and his throat was clogging up in such a way that Levi just couldn't _breathe_.

Words were meaningless when you were talking to a corpse. The only one who would hear it was you. So Levi had figured that it was best to simply bottle it all up inside him. There was no point.

No point at all.

Levi was certain _he_ was a walking corpse now; an empty shell. To all his 'comrades' - to the world - he probably looked the same; as if he never got enough sleep; irritable, with no tolerance for others whatsoever; incapable of possessing such things as 'emotions'.

But in reality, in comparison to the few hours of sleep he would normally get in, Levi never slept at all now. He couldn't. He wouldn't. And he didn't.

He was sure he was going insane now. Because his right cheek just felt as if a cold breeze had brushed past it, whispering in his ear in a voice far too familiar, _"I_ will_ forever be with you, Heichou."_

But Levi could assure himself that he _was_ losing his mind as the windows were all clamped shut; nobody else wondering the room; nobody bothering to see if he was alright; hell, he was 'Humanity's Greatest Soldier' - a man who'd never shown any grief for his soldiers' deaths, never remorse, never shame - _of course_ he was _alright_.

Another breeze passed his ear. _"No -_ we_ are sorry, Heichou - if you feel disappointed, please feel disappointed in us. Never blame yourself... Please."_

And finally, _"I will_ love_ you forever, no matter how much hatred you receive from others - they don't _know_ you like I do... So... Don't give up... Heichou."_

At that point, Levi couldn't restrain what he thought are called 'tears' in his eyes; they were rolling down his cheeks already, anyway. He knew crying wouldn't change anything. He was still in the same stalemate that he was so used to; Petra wouldn't ever come back from the dead; and he was back to feeling more alone than ever.

Tears kept streaming down his face because - no matter _how many_ times he told himself - after all this time, Levi knew that he _should've known_.

That he could never hope to love; or be loved.

And yet he _let_ Petra love him. He let _himself_ love Petra back. And now she was dead.

Gone.

So, Levi, clinging onto the final, bitter left-overs and scraps that life and love could only offer him, vowed that he'd never let it happen again. _Ever._

But glancing around at all the cold stares; the angered glares; the tear-filled gazes, Levi knew.

He wouldn't need to try too hard to fulfill that vow.

* * *

_'And I don't want the world to see me,_  
_'Cause I don't think that they'd understand._  
_When everything's made to be broken,_  
_I just want you to know who I am.'_  
_~ Goo Goo Dolls_

* * *

**A/N- Okayss so all my inspiration for this drabble goes to 'Iris' by Goo Goo Dolls. For me, it just rang out Levi x Petra because ugh, I bet no one can imagine how lonely he must be :'(**

**I had another drabble I wrote, and then I accidentally DELETED it T.T**  
**I think I spent a long time staring at the computer in incredulity LOL **

**Anyway, thank you SO much for all the reviews/faves/follows! :')**

**I think I'm going to be writing a LOT about the way Levi bottles up his emotions - I think it's a major aspect to him, it's also the main reason why a lot of his comrades misunderstand him for not 'caring'. Ugh, the many tragedies of SnK :'(**

**Please review!**

**~ InnocentBlossom Xx**


	10. Chapter 10: Sudden Intruder

"Who the fuck's is it, Petra?" Levi groaned from his desk in his office, _trying_ to do his paperwork - but to no avail - as his soldier had skipped in, with 'joyous' news for him.

The whole ordeal was apparently proving to annoy him a lot more than it should have. Yet, the Corporal reasoned with himself that any squad leader would find it utterly irksome if he found that one of his soldiers were to leave his squad as a result of '_child commitments_'.

This would mean he would need to find a new a member to fill her place in the squad. And that he'd have to sign a whole lot of resignation documents and whatnot.

Of course, it had nothing to do with the nagging feeling that the child's father was definitely _not_ him.

"He's not mine!" The small woman squeaked, taken aback by how easily the Corporal had suspected her. But she was enjoying the conversation too much to care. "I... I adopted, Heichou!"

Levi's head snapped up at her, an expression of what Petra mentally categorized as incredulity - it was hard to tell as the man was never one of many 'emotions' - on his face.

Levi, however, continued to scrutinize her as if the girl had grown another head. How could she have been stupid enough to adopt a child whilst in the Survey Corps? A defenseless child could easily hold them back from expeditions - what, with all the crying; the bawling; the hunger; the bawling, again. Levi inwardly scrunched his nose.

"You are to dispose of the kid on the next expedition. It's an order."

Petra's jaw unbuckled as her eyes widened indefinitely, as if she'd just heard the most shocking, terrible news ever. "I can't just feed him to the _Titans_!"

"No," Levi once again, tore his gaze away from the impressive stack of unfinished - and untouched - paperwork on his desk, "Just drop the kid off where it came from; _inside_ the walls."

"He'd be so lonely, though!" Petra pouted, her ability to reason, obviously failing her at that point.

"Then why don't you just give it back to its father or something?" Levi spat at her bitterly.

"_Hund_ is not an 'it' - he's a 'he'!" Petra threw back defensively. "And he doesn't have a home - or a family! He grew up on the streets, having to fight for himself - you know that struggle, don't you, Heichou?"

_'Hund?'_ Levi mused to himself, wondering when the girl had come up with such a name. Brushing the thought off, he rolled his eyes at her before directing his vision back to his paperwork.

Petra huffed at him; half annoyedly, half pleadingly.

She was giving him _those_ eyes.

Levi, head down and facing the paperwork on the table, found himself concentrating more on not looking up to meet her 'puppy eyes', rather than concentrating on filling out the new updates onto the sheet in front of him.

He finally sighed, giving in. "How old is he?"

Petra's eyes widened - now in delight - that Levi had apparently just given her the 'go-ahead' to continue her rambles about the gorgeous little boy she'd found. Yet, "I don't know," was what she found herself admitting, instead.

"Then why don't you just _ask_ him?" Levi, again, exhaled deeply, his words dripping tiredly.

Petra grinned once more. Yes, she was _really_ enjoying this conversation. "I can't... Well, he can't."

"He's a mute?" The Corporal muttered under his breath, wishing they could just forget about the subject of the child as a whole.

Petra simply settled to watch him, expectantly.

"The answer is 'no'," Levi huffed gruffly. "We can't have some kid holding us up on expeditions and whatever. And for me, looking after you idiots, is enough. I don't need extra trouble."

It probably came out too harsh, but Petra had a way of understanding the true meaning behind Levi's words; so she allowed herself to continue, undeterred. "You'll love him, Heichou! He's golden! And don't make me get started on the beauty in his eyes! They... They _sparkle_!"

Levi rolled his eyes, obviously irked by the girl's persistence. And also irked by the _fact_, that he knew, if this was to keep going on - if Petra was to keep staring at him with those, God, huge hopeful eyes - Levi knew that he was sure to be a goner.

"I didn't question him on his appearance," he snipped, exasperatedly pinching the bridge of his nose. He wasn't getting any of his assigned work done because _Petra_ had thought it to to be alright if she adopted a kid without asking him _before _doing it. "If he's a mute, and he doesn't have a home; he's fragile. It'd be a better idea to just give the kid to some merchant family."

"But I took him in _because_ no 'merchant family' would!" Her voice rised a few octaves higher in her own exasperation, equaling the Corporal's. "I found him, abandoned by humankind, lying down in the streets! If I hadn't taken him in then, he would have _died_!"

She was being overly-melodramatic. Petra knew that. Hell, Levi knew that.

Levi groaned. "For fuck's sake, Petra, just give the kid-"

Petra, apparently also having enough of the conversation, mimicked Levi's tone. "_God_, Heichou, I'm adopting a _puppy_!"

* * *

**A/N- Hey guys!**

**Sorry for the slow updates; school just started up again and whatnot. **

**Who thought Petra was adopting a kid instead of a dog? Haha, hope I had you fooled there ;)**

**Btw, 'Hund' means 'dog' in German hahaha**  
**Why did I choose to write it in German? Because there are a lot of 'German' connections in SnK aha :P**

**Thank you guys SO much for the lovely reviews/faves/follows! :')**

**keepsakeformemory: I'll hopefully get started on the music AU very very soon! I smell inspiration bubbling - I just know it! :D**

**Anyways, please review!**

**~ InnocentBlossom Xx**


	11. Chapter 11: Valentine's Day

"We've spent a couple of days like this, haven't we, Heichou?"

They're gathered around the single candle on the wooden table, wax cascading down the sides and creating a pool of white liquid at the base. It's times like these that any soldier forgets about the existence of Titans through the divulgence of icy alcohol and champagne.

Erd's gone to visit his fiancée in Sina and Oluo's dragged Gunther along on his quest to snag a woman.

"You don't have to be here."

Petra smiles. "I don't have anyone I'm inclined to spend Valentine's day with, Heichou. Besides, _someone_ should keep you company while you're wearing yourself away."

"Yeah, well," A scoff escapes Levi's lips before he can even retain it, scowling pointedly down at the stack of letters and documents sitting all too comfortably beneath his nose, "today's just any other day. I have to get this shit done by the end of this week."

She heaves a sigh before making a grab for the pen in his grasp. She exhales deeply once more when he swivels the object out of her reach, the two of them having an all-out staring contest, neither of them backing down, one waiting for the other to relent and give in.

Petra groans, retracting her hand and once again being reminded of how stubborn the Corporal was. "You were enjoying yourself so much more last year, though! Remember how surprised I was when you smiled at us - me? Remember what you said to me after that?"

"Yeah," he mutters, eyes downcast towards the paperwork, but not focused on them. "I told you, _'I thought I smiled on a daily basis.'_"

Even now, the copper-haired female giggles. "Do you remember how much we laughed at that? You were in such a happy mood that you were even cracking jokes!"

There are no malicious intent behind her words. No sarcasm. She sounds so happy.

"If you're looking to keep up a 'tradition' so much, then shouldn't you be with a _'special someone'_ on a day like this?" The words are bitter and it sounds like he's spitting them out as if they can't afford to be contained on his tongue any longer.

"I don't think you heard me the first time, Heichou," Petra grins. Her teeth look transparent, like glass. "You're here. _You're here_. So this is where I'll stay on a '_day like this'_. It's a promise from me!"

"Oh yeah?" He shuts his eyes, swinging his head up to face what is, most probably, the ceiling. "I also promised you that we'd get married on this day as well. Well fuck that idea. I'm an idiot."

The aching in his chest has returned and Levi makes a mental note to get it checked out soon.

_'Maybe I'm finally dying.'_

He almost laughs at the thought.

Maybe she senses the despairing spice that's been laced into his words. Or maybe he just looks too pitiful for his own good.

Levi decides that it's a bit of both because he sees her smile falter slightly. He doesn't miss the way her right lateral incisor digs into her bottom lip as if she's running away in a maze that only contains dead-ends.

But she doesn't seem to allow herself to hesitate anymore as she plants her lips to the stress-induced creases on his forehead. And maybe he's lying if he says that he doesn't let himself _enjoy_ the moment for a bit. Even if it _is_ for a _bit_.

Because he isn't permitted enough time to grab her face in his hands. Or to hug her in such a way that she becomes forever glued to his body. Or to tell her a story of those simple _three words_.

No.

Because Levi blinks himself back to reality and the girl is gone with the light breeze that just exited via the slightly open window.

The candle is still burning as brightly as ever and he likes to think it reminds him of her hair. Only to see the wax slowly piling up higher and higher at the base.

He likes to think that Erd is having a peaceful dinner with his fiancée somewhere. In a warm room filled with the comforts of beds and cushions and chairs and _love_.

He likes to imagine that Oluo and Gunther are somewhere at a bar getting laid or something. Possibly playing stupid games of tonsil hockey and whatnot.

And yet, the only thing that Levi can't _help_ but see, are the four names scrawled onto the paperwork before him; in typically faded typewriter font. And next to each of them, the tick is placed in the box that reads 'deceased'.

"Happy Valentine's Day, Petra."

His eyes scan her name and the agony in his heart returns.

Levi doesn't know what the name of his disease is called.

But Petra whispers to him that it's 'love sickness'.

* * *

_~ 'Because 'Humanity's strongest soldier' is a fighter, not a lover. _

_And yet, he didn't even have the strength to fight for what he loved.'_

* * *

**A/N- Ugh you guys are probably tired of me going on and on about Petra's death and Levi thinking about her and blah blah **  
**I'm sorry! T.T**

**And thank you guys a heap for all your support! :')**

**Butttt I think I'll end up writing a 'happy' Valentine's Day drabble as well so yay! :D**

**Hope you guys have/had an AWESOME Valentine's Day! :3**

**Roses and chocolates and stuff HAHA**

**I'll send digital chocolates to every reviewer so please leave a comment! **

**~ InnocentBlossom Xx**


	12. Chapter 12: Monster AU

_He tells himself that he's not allowed to touch her._

She saw him during any other normal day. He was carrying out the duties of his normal routine. And he was feeling the way he would on any normal day.

And it apparently perked her interest.

Because Petra Ral continued coming back to _his_ forest everyday after that. And seeing her face when he woke up each morning had become something _normal_ for him as well.

* * *

_He tells her that she shouldn't come too close._

Her skin's untainted.

It glows beautifully against whatever colour she wears and it's even more so stunning whenever it's caught in the middle of sunlight and rays.

* * *

And yet he can't help but notice how _ugly_ that makes him.

His skin is torn in some places. In some areas, bubbles of popped warts and scabs alike, adorn the path up his arms. And when one reaches his face, they don't think twice about turning heels straight back the way they came; they must've taken the wrong route in the forest. His nose is deformed and red and swollen and shriveled, like a caterpillar corpse, or an old cocoon. His eyes are as grey as his entire complexion, save for the parts where purple bruises and scars have made their home. His feet have holes in them and dry blood surrounds each of them like fences. His whole body is a bag of bones - and are probably exactly that - only if it wasn't for the piece of clothing he'd been wearing during his first time here. Despite that, a year's time period has taken its toll on the cloth and even that was now as old and worn and torn as his actual body that Levi thinks he wouldn't look any different without it.

* * *

"I'm ugly," he tells her.

"No, you're not," she retorts. "I bet girls used to swoon whenever you walked past them."

"Yeah," he agrees. "'_Used to_'. Before I turned into _this_."

* * *

He'd killed a witch.

Levi had fulfilled his mission. Taken the recipe that his commander had ordered him to get. And he was about to return to HQ, only to... _Only to_ never be able to go back there anymore.

The witch was fast. She'd intercepted him before he could even reach the exit of her cottage.

But Levi had experience in dealing with persistent enemies. And his commander hadn't warned him of anything beforehand.

So he killed her.

Just like he killed everybody else he was ordered - and sometimes not - to kill.

And so, she had died before him - evaporating and dispersing - but all the while, screaming belligerent curses at him. And him, all the while, not caring. Only to step out the door and realize that his skin was melting; the structure of his nose bending and breaking at its own will; his flesh burning and dying.

* * *

_She wants to touch him._

She thinks that he's really sensitive in stark contrast to his rude, unapproachable, ghastly personality that matches his appearance so perfectly. He winces slightly whenever he accidentally cuts himself on a thorn while he's out hunting. He recoils whenever he's in the sunlight. He even bites his bottom lip tightly whenever she tries to tend to his wounds because he doesn't want her to end up like him.

She asks him why and he tells her that she's beautiful.

So she tells him, "I don't think you're necessarily ugly."

But he mutters that he's much uglier on the inside.

Levi knows that he can't let her touch him the way she wants to - the way _he_ wants her to.

* * *

The game's all too simplistic.

_'She touches him. And then he turns back into the radiant and handsome and attractive man he once was. And then she turns into what he's supposed to be. And she'll forever live her life unhappily.'_

* * *

For the most part of his time as a ghastly _thing_, Levi had been waiting for someone stupid like her to come along. Someone who'd stick around him long enough for him to brush his fingers along their perfectly unblemished skin. Someone who'd become the vessel for the curse that he held. Someone who'd be forced to live the hell that he's been through.

But when _she_ finally showed up, it turns out he finds her stupidity somewhat attractive; and that her skin is far too perfect for him to taint with his _disgusting_ fingers; and that she's far too cheerful and kind to ever be forced to live the life he's been living.

So he tells himself that he's not _allowed_ to touch her.

Because he was a monster even before the curse had struck him.

The witch had only done him a favor.

Because now his appearance matched that of the monster inside of him.

And he decides that Petra should stay as pure on the outside as she is to the core of her.

So Levi tells himself that he should just wear away his days, as the monster he always was, and always will be.

* * *

**A/N- Hey guys!**

**A random idea for an AU that randomly came to me at one of the most random of times LOL**

**I hope you guys liked it! :3**

**Please review.**

**~ InnocentBlossom Xx**


	13. Chapter 13: Wings of Freedom

She finds that when she departs from Earth and up to Heaven, that her Wings of Freedom aren't anything special.

They're not as extravagant as the feathery wings that the angels have. No. Those wings are graceful, beautiful and untainted with not the slightest trace of blood.

And in comparison to those wings, Petra finds that hers have experienced blood and loss and pain and grief, far too many times, that they can't ever hope to be cleansed in such a way that they're as white as the other angels' wings.

Her wings are oddly colored, too. One of them is a dark navy which could easily be mistaken for black. And the other is an off-white. And they look so abnormal and strange that when she first arrived, everybody had stared at her as if she had gotten the wrong address and that she was meant to go to Hell instead. But Petra spots Erd and Gunther there too. And even though a part of her was hoping that Oluo had been sent to Hell for annoying the _hell_ out of her during their lives, she can't help but feel somewhat relieved when she sees him sitting there in Heaven, as well.

They all share the same peculiar, mismatched wings and they are all ostracized by the other angels in the same vicinity. Their green cloaks had mysteriously disappeared on their way up to Heaven and had been replaced with these awkward, tiny, slightly broken-looking wings that can barely keep them up in the air when they're flying; so, each of them do not bother to do so.

They find their own cloud in Heaven; a secluded area from all the other angels; a place where nobody comes; and a place where nobody _bothers_ to come. Each of them keep watch over the people that they can't share the same ground with anymore.

And Petra finds her own cloud, where she watches over Levi from above; close enough to see him tear apart the necks of Titans; but too far away to be able to touch him and comfort him.

She decides that she'll stay, perched upon the same fluffy, white cloud; the spot where she can get the greatest view of his grace.

So she sits there, waiting for the time that he joins her - and as much as she wants the time to come quickly - she prays that it isn't too soon.

* * *

**A/N- Ugh, I'm meant to be doing work right now, so why the heck am I writing? -.-"**

**Thank you guys SO much for the reviews :)**

**I've been getting ideas lately so YAY aha :D**

**Please review!**

**~ InnocentBlossom Xx**


	14. Chapter 14: Barrier

He's always gotten what he wanted whenever he wanted it.

It's a known fact among the Survey Corps; and possibly even beyond that. Nobody ever raised an objection against it; never protested against his methods of getting work done. The policy was just, sort of, accepted.

He's always gotten his way in which the cleaning gets done at HQ. He always certifies that there isn't a single dusty particle left unpurified in the vicinity. He knows how to express his authority over his soldiers. And he knows how to gain their respect.

All in all, Levi knows what he wants.

And all in all, he _always_ gets it.

* * *

However, it's only after she joins his squad that he finally notices: Petra's different to him.

She has large and round and innocent eyes, where he has sharp, narrow, dark and deadly ones that reveal a man who'd manipulated and _killed_ at an age that she would have still been playing with dolls.

They've _both_ killed, however, as much as it doesn't appear so.

Yet, the similarities between them end there. Because Petra was never aware that the Titans were humans all along; so she'd simply continued to fight them and kill them in order to assist in Humanity's advancement. But _Levi_, had discovered the secret, and yet, he continued to slaughter even more Titans one by one, despite being fully aware that they were once of the same kind.

And as a result, Levi feels absolutely disgusting. And dirty. So much so that no amount of cleaning and scrubbing and showering could ever cleanse it all. He feels as if he's carrying a vile detestable disease; and sometimes, he really thinks that he is.

So he never allows his fingers to accidentally trace her skin. Or for him to accidentally stroke her face. Or for their lips to accidentally brush over each other.

_No._

And Petra will never understand why the Corporal seems so intent on their fingers never touching when she hands him his cup of coffee each morning.

Levi's already set up the barrier between them. It's invisible. Nobody can see it; even him. But he can definitely feel its restrictions. And sometimes, he even wishes that it wasn't there.

The barrier's indestructible and it will stay that way because Levi's too selfless in the sense that if he were to breach the wall, Petra's innocence would be shattered as well. And he's too selfish in the sense that if he were to breach the wall, his dignity - or what little he has left of it - would be gone along with it.

So this time, he tells himself that he can't get what he wants anymore.

* * *

**A/N- Thank you guys a heap for the reviews; they means so much to me :3**

**Hopefully my drabbles aren't all that boring so far; I've been able to update pretty quickly lately; the ideas and headcanons and whatnot have been flowing quite heavily hahaha**

**Anyway, please review!**

**~ InnocentBlossom Xx**


	15. Chapter 15: Apartments AU

**A/N- A random idea that came into my head. I'm sorry if it sucks :S**

* * *

The rent was cheap.

No annoying real-estate agents were part of the deal.

The neighborhood was in close proximity to the houses of her friends; one of them were even following her, on that note.

"Oluo, I know you're there," she groaned.

"You're no fun, Petra," the man pouted, stepping away from the sidewalk that he'd been using for means of discretion.

The woman rolled her eyes, directing her gaze to the address she'd circled on the newspaper in her hands. Nodding once in satisfaction, she moved her right index finger towards the doorbell before her. Within a few seconds of pressing the button, the door swung open, revealing a smear of black.

Attempting to keep up with how quickly the man moved, Petra blinked. "Uh, hello! I'm here to rent a room."

_'Note to self: He's a looker.'_

The man - owner of the apartment - stared at her as if analyzing an intricately detailed document, and Petra couldn't help but feel as if he were looking through her, rather than at her. His gaze briefly drifted to Oluo who stood beside her, arms crossed against his chest, assuming his position as a ridiculously overly-protective friend.

"May we come in?" He huffed, the heavy tension of the man's gaze unnerving him.

Apparently having gathered information on each of the two beings, he flicked his head towards the house in a jerking motion. And Petra deemed this to be the 'invitation' for them to proceed.

_'Note to self: He's analytical.'_

The apartment was stunning, just like she'd thought it would be. It was quite spacious; and so was the room, for that matter. It was also clean. Abnormally, strangely, on-the-verge-of-being-creepy-ly clean. So much so that Petra would even be prepared to place bets that not a single speck of dust or bacteria would be spotted if, for some reason, a raid had been conducted over the apartment. It was _that_ clean.

_'Note to self: He's a clean freak.'_

Not that it was a bad thing.

She gave the room a once-over before grinning, content. "I'll take it!" Then, she peered over at the man's figure unsurely, "Uh, Rivaille?"

"Levi," the man clarified. And Petra had no idea why he was scowling at her as if she was stupid, because the newspaper had clearly read _'Rivaille'_. "Sure," he drawled. "I just need identification and all that shit."

She couldn't help but quirk an eyebrow at that. She hadn't been expecting profanity to come out of his mouth, considering the man's rather professional looking appearance. "Um, sure, okay," she fished a stapled set of papers out of her suitcase and promptly handed them to him.

In five seconds flat, Levi had flipped the first page over and onto the next, which he also read in the same amount of time, along with the last page. In nothing short of fifteen seconds, the documents had been tossed into the table before them and it took a moment for Petra to comprehend what had happened.

"Did you really read all of it?" She narrowed her eyes at him skeptically.

He ignored her question. "I can agree to most of your points. For example, if that's all the luggage that you're bringing, like Point Number Five suggested, I'd expect you'd be capable of keeping all your crap together and whatever."

_'Note to self: He has a foul-mouth.'_

Although she did scrunch her nose slightly at his second use of profanity, Petra bit back the scandalized expression that was willing itself across her features.

"You said you agreed to 'most' of her points?" Oluo butted in, questioningly.

Levi nodded. "Frankly, I couldn't care less about Point Number Fifteen. I don't care if you have a Pure-Bred Maltese as your puppy, as long as it doesn't come anywhere near the apartment."

_'Note to self: He's rude.'_

The girl's left eyebrow twitched in annoyance and she had to set the reminder in her head on repeat. _'Cheap rent. Zero real-estate agents. Cheap rent. Zero real-estate agents.'_

She gave a pained smile. "Sure, not a problem."

"You're a doctor?"

At that, the copper-haired female beamed and nodded furiously, momentarily forgetting about how bored he looked as he asked; most probably out of courtesy, rather than interest.

"How interesting," he drawled, proving her point earlier and not sounding interested in the slightest.

_'Note to self: He easily loses interest.'_

An impressed low whistle echoed itself through Oluo's lips and Petra directed an annoyed glare towards the man. Not for the first time, she wondered why the hell her friends loved following her so often. Didn't they have anywhere better to be?

* * *

Once Oluo had gone back to his own home and was finally out of the picture, Petra smiled at Levi, holding her hand out for him to shake. "It's nice to meet you, I'm Petra Ral."

Levi pointedly stared down at her awaiting palm, before hesitantly moving his own to clench hers in brief greeting. He clicked his tongue somewhat irritatedly. "Levi."

Once they let go, Petra couldn't help but gape in incredulity as the man promptly moved to drag a white handkerchief out of his left pocket, before wiping his hands against it as if coming into contact with her had caused him to acquire some sort of vile, detestable germ.

_'Note to self: He's rude AND a clean-freak.'_

* * *

She couldn't sleep.

_Why?_

Who the hell vacuums the house in the middle of the night?

Who doesn't seem to turn off the vacuum until the moment a ray of sunlight seeps in through the windows?

Who turns the vacuum on at full blast when _some people_ are trying to get a good night's sleep?

Apparently, Levi does.

"Why, may I ask, were you vacuuming the house during the middle of the night?" Petra snapped at him groggily, the lack of rest had obviously taken a toll on her; evident by the deep creases forming underneath her eyes and the ghostly paleness of her skin.

He blinked at her, bored. "I always clean the house at that time."

_'Always?!'_

Her eyes widened as her mouth flung open, and she lifted a finger at him wearily. "You! Are you... An insomniac?!"

It finally all clicked. Petra had thought that the bottom of his eyes were a lot darker - more exhausted looking - a lot 'bag-ier' than most.

But his insomnia was the least of her concerns. What about her? What about her _sleep_? What about the neighbors' sleep?

"Are you insane?"

He blinked at her once more. "Is it right to call someone insane, based solely upon their sleeping habits?"

She ignored him. "Don't you think the people around you want to _sleep_ at night?! Not listen to your stupid vacuum!"

He scowled at her, annoyance knitting itself on his brow. Then, as he moved towards the kitchen, she followed after him.

Petra scrutinized him as Levi's pale hand felt around the inside of a neatly arranged drawer. Pulling out what he had been searching for, he tossed it to the girl, "Here."

Petra stared at the object in her palms. "Earplugs?" She deadpanned.

Part of her mind was in questioning as to why the hell Levi would have packets of plastic earplugs stored away in a drawer. But then, the other half of her mind, possibly the more logical half - or maybe, the other way around - argued that he most probably went around his entire neighborhood, distributing the packets to any _normal_ human who wanted to get in some sleep at night.

"Aren't you quite the comedian." It was more of a statement laced with dry humor, rather than a question. Levi apathetically stared at her in response.

"Not really," he muttered, shoving both of his hands into his denim pockets.

Petra's eyebrow twitched, and she squelched the urge to go and smack him a good one.

Perhaps the cheap rent and the zero real-estate agents weren't worth the amount of trouble she was in for. And perhaps, she still wasn't fully aware of what, exactly, she'd doomed herself to.

But she could assure herself of one thing.

Her sharing this apartment with this man, would surely result in her own death.

But maybe, it will result in Levi's as well.

The moment she gets the chance to wrap her fingers around his throat, that is.

Until then, Petra Ral...

Until then...

* * *

**A/N- Hey guys!**

**Hope you liked this AU.. I'm really nervous about what you might say on it, because I'll admit, it isn't one of my best :S**

**Please let me know what you thought! If you want to see a sequel, if you don't want to see a sequel!**

**I love reading your comments!**

**~ InnocentBlossom Xx**


	16. Chapter 16: Music AU

**Thank you keepsakeformemory for the prompt! I appreciate the time you spend to let me know your thoughts on my writing! **

**Hope this one isn't completely bad!**

* * *

She wasn't sure what she expected him to be. But when she saw him for the first time, she knew that whatever her expectations were; they were the farthest from the truth.

He's _short_. Only two centimeters taller than her. And that was saying something; considering the known fact that she's never met another adult who had such a diminutive stature as herself.

She doesn't know if he's socially awkward or if he simply hates the human race in general, because she never sees him with another one of his kind.

He doesn't appear to give the slightest fuck about the language of music and yet he can conduct it _so well_. And she doesn't know why but she can't help but feel the tiniest bit, jealous of how perfect he is.

She knows that she idoliz_ed_ him, however. But now that she's discovered who he actually is, she isn't so sure anymore.

She greets him, the first time, "It's a pleasure to meet you. I'm Petra Ral."

_'No, the pleasure's all mine. Nice to meet you. I'm Levi.'_

That's what her 'expectations' had insisted he'd say.

Instead, Petra received something sounding suspiciously along the lines of 'tch' and then the irritated 'clicking' sound of his tongue against the roof of his mouth. It appeared as if it took the most energy out of him to urge himself to reciprocate her awaiting palm in a handshake. But it apparently took more willpower to make him utter a single, "Levi."

She wondered just where the hell her muse got the idea that he was a gentleman.

He conducts well, however.

It makes her forget all the flaws and holes in his personality; even if it is for a short amount of time.

He isn't showy about his skills as a conductor, either. Unlike the other conductors that she's worked with in the past, Levi doesn't need to flail his arms around him like a drowning animal, in order to draw in the attention of his audience. Even though he isn't playing in the actual orchestra; or ringing out some kind of extravagant solo; he's the centre of attention and the moment he flicks his wrist for a high note, the spectators are apparently already in love with him.

So he conducts; centre stage.

And she plays her viola in her measly space in the back of the section; face hidden by other heads and other faces. So much so, that Petra thinks nobody even realizes that she's there.

* * *

"How old are you?" She yawns after another long day worn away in rehearsal.

"Old," he mutters back, seeing no reason to humor the woman.

"How old?" Petra presses. She's found something that's strikes her interest so she's not letting it go until she's reached nothing less than satisfaction.

He opens his mouth. _'It's none of your business,'_ he wants to say. And yet - not for the first time since he met her either - he found himself answering her question. "Thirty."

Her eyes widen; perhaps not in shock, that he'd first deemed it to be. More so in awe, so to speak. "Wow, you're seven whole years older than me!"

If he were the type to do so, Levi would've rolled his eyes right there.

And if it wasn't Petra he was speaking to, Levi would've flipped her off very long ago.

But it _is_ Petra he's talking to, so he settles to slightly shake his head in shame.

And he hasn't done anything remotely hilarious, but Levi can't help but feel kind of _happy_ when it seems that he's made her laugh.

* * *

**keepsakeformemory: I'm sorry! I took so long to find inspiration to write this and then what I ended up with was nothing like what I wanted T.T**  
**I promise you this isn't the end of it though! I'll probably write more music AUs that are hopefully better than this one so don't worry! :D**

**Thank you guys so much for the kind reviews!**

**Please let me know your thoughts!**

**- InnocentBlossom Xx**


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